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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chip — for betting
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — a break
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. row — a line
  10. capital — money
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — a city
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com